Oriente Province
This large region in the lowlands
of the Amazon Basin has huge areas of rainforest and
lures visitors interested in natural history, ecology,
tropical habitats, indigenous tribes, birdwatching
and jungle treks. The main service towns in this region
are Macas, Puyo, Tena, Coca and Lago Agrio. The Oriente
is divided into northern and southern halves by the
Río Pastaza.
Almost all roads in the southern
Oriente are unpaved and subject to landslides and
other delays during the rainy season - June to August
are the worst months. The northern Oriente's road
system and its connections to the capital are much
more user friendly.
Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos archipelago is renowned
for its unique and fearless wildlife and has become
a mecca for natural-history enthusiasts. Here, you
can swim with sea lions, float eye-to-eye with penguins
and stand beside a blue-footed booby as it feeds its
young. The archipelago spreads out over 50,000 sq
km (19,500 sq mi) of the Pacific Ocean some 1000km
(620mi) west of Ecuador and is comprised of 13 main
islands and six smaller ones. The landscape is barren
and volcanic but has a unique haunting beauty. Thehighest
point in the chain is the 1707m (5600ft) Volcan Wolf
on Isla Isabela. The islands' renowned bird and marine
life includes albatross, penguins, boobies, turtles,
giant tortoises, iguanas, sea lions, whales and dolphins.
Ecuador claimed the Galapagos Islands
in 1832, just three years before their most famous
visitor, Charles Darwin, arrived on the Beagle. For
the next century, the islands were inhabited by a
few settlers and were used as a penal colony, the
last of which was closed in 1959. The archipelago
became a national park in 1959. The islands currently
receive an average of 60,000 visitors per year.
Ibarra-San Lorenzo Railway
For an unforgettable trip, take
a ride on the Ibarra-San Lorenzo railway. The views
are especially good from the rooftop! Parque Nacional
Sangay Stretching about 70km southeast of Baños,
Parque Nacional Sangay encompasses 272,000ha(671,840ac)
of the country's most remote and inaccessible wilderness
and protects an incredible abundance of rare animals.
Hotels
All the hotels we recommend are
clean, well located and comfortable hotels varying
in services as according to their category. We rarely
use hostels as the price difference is negligible
between a good hostel and a hotel. In places Ambato
and Cotopaxi, we do work with some very good hosterias.
It is important to remember that in Ecuador is a three
star hotel will not necessarily be the same as a three
star hotel in Europe or the US. We do endeavour to
choose the best hotels in line with your budget. There
are five star deluxe hotels we offer that are among
the best in South America. We will always quote you
with good hotels on all our programmes but upgrades
or downgrades will be available as per your request.
However, as the price will decrease with downgrades,
this will ultimately reflect in the services and standards
of the hotel.
Flights
Unless otherwise stated, we provide
all internal flights in your programme, excluding
the airport taxes. We also provide international flights
around South America and can quote, upon request,
your international flight to Ecuador. We work directly
with the best airlines in South America but are not
responsible for any changes in flight schedules or
cancellations made by the airlines. This is the responsibility
of the airline in question. We will always endeavour
to minimise any delays or changes but cannot guarantee
a successful outcome.
Insurance
It is a mandatory requirement that
all our customers take out adequate travel insurance
cover. Once you have obtained your insurance, it is
company practice to check the validity and cover of
your insurance policy and we hold the right to refuse
travel to anyone whose insurance does not satisfy
Amazing Peru's stringent criteria. These include cancellation
and curtailment, death or injury, medical insurance,
emergency repatriation, delayed baggage, loss and
theft etc.
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